At least 30 FEMA employees were placed on administrative leave after warning that spending limits, staffing cuts, and gaps in leadership impeded the agency's ability to respond to disasters. The employees received emails notifying them that they had been put on administrative leave. FEMA did not confirm the suspensions or address the allegations. A letter tied the issue to deadly July 4th flooding in Kerrville, Texas, saying leadership questioned the agency's existence and prioritized uninformed cost-cutting over serving communities. Previously, 144 Environmental Protection Agency workers were placed on leave after raising similar concerns about agency protection of public health.
The employees received emails notifying them that they'd been put on administrative leave on Tuesday night, according to The New York Times, which reviewed copies of the email.
FEMA's mission to provide critical support was obstructed by leadership who not only question the agency's existence but place uninformed cost-cutting above serving the American people and the communities our oath compels us to serve," the letter says.
EPA under your leadership will not protect communities from hazardous chemicals and unsafe drinking water, but instead will increase risks to public health and safety.
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